


string theory

by kitmarlowe



Series: string theory [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Eventual Romance, F/F, LITERALLY the sappiest thing in the world, Red String of Fate, Slow Burn, Soulmates, ohhh the angst, the romance is very background for now fyi, this plot rly got away from me, thx setsuna, until the next part, weird dimension travel, weird monsters that don't get explained really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 06:46:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14014515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitmarlowe/pseuds/kitmarlowe
Summary: On love, fate, and duty. Her team is captured, and Sailor Venus will walk forever to save them.OR: Minako Aino just really wants to fall in love and none of this had been in the plan.





	string theory

**i. string theory**  


The threads of fate glimmered in the air. Despite the hole in her lower abdomen and the blood coating her hands, Sailor Venus watched them with fascination. They were a pure braided red and gold—the strings of destiny tied together so tightly that not even Venus, the Guardian of Love, could untangle them. She reached up to grab at them weakly, thinking that if it had to end like this, at least she could touch the threads of fate herself, just once.

Her hand smacked right into Sailor Uranus’ chest. Uranus grabbed it gently, pulling off the remains of the bloodied glove. “Venus, how forward of you.”   
  
Neptune now came into focus as well, kneeling in front of Venus. “Careful, Venus, she might take you up on that.” Neptune lifted her up. “You’re going to be okay, V.”

Neptune’s voice was smooth, but Venus knew she was lying. “The princess, you have to find her.”

Neptune shushed Venus. “You’re going to find her with us, Venus, I promise. Healer!”

White hair and light green eyes filled Venus’ vision. Tears pricked hot at her eyes, and Venus thought it was so fitting that the last thing she would see would be so beautiful, and so out of reach. She reached out, embracing the warmth one last time, even as the threads began to disappear from her vision. 

Surprising her, deep green light filled her view, seeming to embrace her. The threads materialized again, seeming to grow even tighter than before, before slowly fading into the back of her mind. She could feel them pulsing just behind her eyes, even as her vision cleared and the material world came back into existence. 

Once again, Minako Aino had dodged death.

* * *

Two days ago, all Minako Aino had cared about was that she couldn’t find the love of her life. Sailor Venus had a special, if rather useless, power sometimes: she could see the threads of love. Yet, for all her power, she could not see where her own threads led. When her fellow senshi were next to her, she could see the threads of love that connected them together. But when she turned her gaze inward, her threads simply stretched into the universe, farther than Minako could follow, until they simply disappeared.

“Maybe this means I’m not meant to love anyone,” Minako said to Usagi that day. It was a perfect autumn afternoon, and both had elected to skip school and spend the day at the arcade and the park. After all, graduation was a week away now, and who was going to notice? 

“Don’t give up, Mina.” Usagi’s eyes, as always, shined at the idea of romance. “You’ll see. One day you’ll meet someone, and, and you’ll just  _ know _ .” Usagi’s expression took on a wistful, dreamy cast to it that meant she was thinking about Mamoru. Minako didn’t break Usagi’s bubble and remind her that both she and Mamoru had despised one another when they first met.

“But that’s the thing, Usagi. My threads just disappear, like they’re not meant to exist. I could follow yours to Mamoru’s. But I can’t follow mine.” 

Usagi hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re not meant to see them until you meet them, Minako.” She sipped at her tea, gaze cast up to the sky, a soft smile warming her face. “I think, Mina, you’ll have the greatest love story of us all.”

“Maybe,” Minako conceded.

Usagi place a hand on Minako’s knee. “I’ll always share my love with you,” she said, quite seriously.

“Usagi…” Minako stared deep into her eyes. “What will the others say?”

“We’ll have to run away together,” Usagi said. She paused, and then: “How am I going to tell Mamo?”

“We’ll call him when we land,” Minako promised.

Usagi perked up. “Oh! Where should we go?”

“Ooh, let’s go to the beach first, Usagi! I look  _ great _ in a swimsuit.”

The two spent the rest of the day fantasizing about where they would run away together, how they would hide Luna and Artemis on the planes, the food they would eat, the pop star careers they would have, all until Makoto, Ami, and Rei finally found them to scold them. As Usagi erupted into her daily argument with Rei, and Ami gently scolded Minako for enabling this, Minako felt her heart swell, and she wondered why this wasn’t enough for her. 

* * *

Sailor Venus knew Death well, and she had walked side by side with it for as long as she could remember. She recalled the kingdom of her past, how she had strode out onto the battlefield, hand on her sword, and greeted Death for her Princess and Queen with open arms. She remembered how she had walked straight into the circle of ice, trusting in Sailor Moon to save them. Venus had seen worlds crumble, friends fall, and still she walked on at Death’s side, willing to do it all over again if she could have just a taste of happiness.

So when Venus was saved from her imminent death, she was not surprised by her revival. Mostly, she was surprised by who did it. Still leaning heavily on Uranus, Venus took in the slight form of Sailor Star Healer. The Kinmoku senshi looked out of place by herself, and Venus couldn’t even begin to fathom how the soldier had found herself in the depths of this godforsaken realm with her.

“Our Princess sensed a disturbance on this plane,” were Healer’s opening words, as if she had heard Venus’ unspoken question. “And she said we owed you a favor.”

“Usagi wouldn't like the thought of that,” Venus said, voice hoarse.

“I don’t particularly like it either,” Uranus muttered next to her, though Venus was sure that her dislike was completely separate from Usagi’s. Neptune placed a soothing hand on Uranus’ arm, though her eyes were no less steely than Uranus’.

“We appreciate your help to this point,” Neptune said. “But we can take it from here.”

Healer arched an eyebrow. “Can you?” she asked. “Half your usual team is gone, and even your Princess has been subdued.”

“The Princess is  _ our  _ duty,” Uranus said. “We don’t need your help.”

Healer shrugged. “Fine, let’s say that’s true. But I’m coming along anyway. Besides,” she added, now turning to Venus. “I still have a debt to you to pay and I’m not ignoring it.”

Venus clutched her chest—  _ the electricity of chaos hit her and her soldiers, her Star Seed materialized. It was the end for her, but only the beginning battle for the Starlights and Sailor Moon.  _ “Consider your debt paid from today,” Venus said. “But some extra firepower would be nice.”

“Absolutely not,” Uranus said, firmly.

“Haruka.” Venus forced herself to stand, gaze already turned to the road ahead. “I don’t really care about your opinion here.”

Uranus looked affronted, and opened her mouth angrily. Venus cut her off before she could get started. She had almost died and didn’t have time for this. “This is the Princess! No, this is  _ Usagi  _ we’re talking about.” Venus clenched her hands, fixing a hard stare on the two Outer soldiers. “I’d use anything to bring her back.”

“Just because the Inner soldiers were too weak to protect her, doesn’t mean we won’t be enough,” Uranus said, coldly.

Venus’ vision went black. Before she knew it, her fist was flying out—but it missed, and struck Neptune’s hand squarely. Neptune, eyes raging with the storms of the sea, tightened her grip on her fist. “I’ll say that you still haven’t recovered from your wound, Venus. Don’t do something you might regret.”

Venus tugged her hand away, shoulders slumping. “You— you don’t know anything about my soldiers,” Venus said. “You’ve never cared.”

“The Outers have always stepped in at times like this.” Neptune’s tone became more gentle, now. “When the Inner guard is no longer enough. Just like you’ve supported us.”

Not that the Outers ever wanted their support, Venus thought bitterly. She shook herself and instead eyed Healer. “It doesn’t matter. She’ll come with us anyway,” she said, ignoring Healer’s muttered, “Isn’t that what I just said?”

Venus held Neptune and Uranus’ gaze firmly, aware that she must not look that intimidating with her uniform half torn, hair falling out of its bow, blood streaking her entire body. But something about it must have worked. Uranus heaved a sigh, and said, “Fine. We’ve wasted enough time anyway. Let’s get going.”

“Finally,” Healer drawled. “This soap opera was getting a bit tiresome.”

Venus took a step forward, the darkness in front of them both inviting and terrible. She hardened her heart again. “I’ll go first.”

* * *

Rei noticed something was off first. It was at times like these that Minako wondered why she had been given the command of the sailor soldiers. She often thought something went wrong with the reincarnation cycle—that her warrior sense had been overcome by her more flighty side. Minako didn’t have more time to think about that thought. While the rest of their friends settled into Rei’s room to study for their last exams, Rei pulled Minako aside into the hall of fire.

“Rei, what now?” Minako said, exasperated. She was already behind school work (her own fault) and was going to miss out on Makoto’s cookies. Usagi would  _ definitely  _ eat all of them if they were away too long.

“I’ve had this horrible premonition all morning, Mina,” Rei said.

Minako wanted to dismiss her immediately. After Galaxia, Rei had terrible premonitions every morning, but it had turned out to simply be flashbacks, a result of their untimely death. Now, though, it was two years later, and Rei looked too serious for Minako to dismiss her. “Why didn’t you mention anything earlier?” she asked.

Rei shook her head. “I didn’t want to tell anyone in case we could handle it without upsetting Usagi.” Her face collapsed, the shadow of Galaxia’s fear overcoming her. “I don’t want her to shoulder the burden again.”

Minako closed her eyes, knowing Rei was right. Still, her heart ached; couldn’t, she too, be left out of it for once?

No. Last time, they hadn’t been strong enough. But now two years had passed, and their powers had grown exponentially even while dormant. Minako would take up the duty of Sailor Venus, Commander of the Sailor Soldiers of the Nine Planets and Captain of the Inner Guard, once more.

When she opened her eyes, Minako stood tall, flicking her blonde hair back. “Tell me everything.”

* * *

The dimension they were in was not actually, at least as far as Venus knew, hell. It was called the Lost Lands, a space located parallel to the Doors of Time. Beings that enter these lands never came out, doomed to wander until their bodies gave out, before the Lost Lands took them. It was an empty abyss, no wind, no sound, not even stars above them. Only the darkest night awaited the soldiers. They walked along the single winding pathway, nothing behind them, nothing seemingly ahead, and the only thing to the side, an empty void that didn’t seem to have an end.

Venus knew she would walk forever though, to reach the end. Because wherever that end was, Sailor Moon was there. And she would  _ not  _ die before she found her.

Her legs were not cooperating however. She didn’t know how long they had been walking, time meaningless in this darkness, but finally her legs buckled underneath her.

Surprisingly, she did not fall to the floor. Sailor Star Healer caught her, hands underneath her shoulders. “Jeez, you’re heavy,” Healer grumbled, lifting her up. “We should take a break.”

“No,” Venus and Uranus said at the same time.

But Neptune shook her head. “Healer’s right. We’re all tired. We need to conserve our strength.”

“But what if it’s too late?” Venus tried to stand again, failed, and resigned herself to leaning on Healer’s shoulder.

“You won’t be any use to Sailor Moon if you die before you reach her,” said Neptune.

“Besides, I’m not letting you die.” Healer helped Venus sit down.

Venus smirked at Healer. “Oh? That almost sounds like you care.”

Healer sniffed. “Please. I just don’t want the energy I spent healing you to go to waste. And besides,” she added, “I still have a debt to pay.”

Venus went quiet at that, and then looked toward Uranus. Their eyes met, and Venus could see Uranus was equally frustrated. “You can go on without me, then,” she said to Uranus. “And I’ll be right behind you."

Uranus didn’t say anything. Venus silently urged her to go. Someone had to keep moving, even if Venus couldn’t. But Uranus now turned to Neptune, and Venus knew she had lost. “We go as a group,” Uranus said. “Sailor Moon is strong; she’ll wait for us.”

Venus hoped, with all her heart, that that was true. The four soldiers settled down, the darkness wrapping around them, a lonely chill the only thing they could feel. 

* * *

Grim, Minako and Rei left the Hall of Fire to rejoin the other girls. Usagi greeted them instantly, blue eyes bright and wide. “Where have you two been?” she whined around a mouthful of Makoto’s cookies, hand going to grab another. “Why did  _ I  _ have to stay and study?”

Makoto snatched the cookie plate from Usagi’s hands. “You haven’t really been studying so much as eating, Usagi,” she said, exasperated.

“Mako!!” Usagi turned her best puppy dog eyes on Makoto, but after all these years, the girls had grown quite immune to Usagi’s antics. Usagi dropped the gaze, slumping over the table in her seat. “Jeez, I can’t wait to never have to do calculus  _ again.” _

“Didn’t I tell you—” Ami looked up, pen set against her lips, serious. “Neo-Queen Serenity actually takes calculus classes every week to keep up with Chibiusa.”

Usagi stared. “Ami, don’t lie to me like that.”

“Why would I lie, Usagi? She told me herself.”

“You’re lying!” Usagi paled when Ami didn’t say anything. “Ami, please tell me you’re lying.”

Ami let out a laugh, dropping the facade, and Usagi shrieked, tackling the blue-haired woman to the floor. Rei shook her head, muttering “Idiot Usagi,” which of course, Usagi picked up on, and then the two were squabbling again, all four completely forgetting Rei and Minako’s absence. Minako took a seat next to Usagi, the distraction giving her ample time to examine her.

Rei’s premonition had not given her much: only a dark eyed, broken, Sailor Moon, trapped in a space even darker that they couldn’t reach. Minako didn’t want to even consider what that meant.

On instinct, Minako pulled and the threads of love materialized in front of her. With the five of them so close together, it was a tangled mess, all forming into one glowing center—the light of the moon shining right in front of her. Minako could stare at it forever.

Reluctantly, Minako sifted through the threads, separating them. There was Ami, the power of Mercury pulsing through, blue and gleaming silver, stretching to all five of them. Makoto, the bright green and red of a blooming rose. Rei, pure deep red and orange as the fire in her hall. They were as familiar to Minako as her own threads, even more so, as she actively had avoided looking at her own.

And then there was Usagi. Minako stifled a gasp—the silver threads that connected to their own… they were  _ fraying.  _ Minako carefully separated the threads further, leaving only the ones that were Usagi’s plain sight. Her eyes drifted to the silver thread,chained inexorably to a golden one that stretched far out of the room—Mamoru’s. A soul bond.

Minako watched as the chain between the two threads began to unlink one by one before her. 

* * *

At some point, Venus must have fallen asleep. The next thing she knew, she was staring into green eyes, head in Healer’s lap. She felt herself freeze as she stared upward, spluttering.

“What, you wanted me to let you sleep on the floor?” Healer said, exasperated. “I’ve had to listen to Seiya whine way too often to do that.” 

“I-” Venus didn’t know how to answer that. 

Then a horrible thought occurred to her. She shot up, looking around—no one else was there, confirming her suspicions. “Uranus and Neptune?” she said sharply. 

“They went to scout ahead.” Healer drew her right leg to her chest, resting her chin on her knee. “They said they’d be back and told me not to get you killed in the meantime.”

Venus rested her hand on her hip, torn between believing her fellow soldiers and waiting, or simply following them. She considered what Usagi would want her to do, and heaving a great sigh, plopped back on the ground, resting backward on the palms of her hands. 

“Those two are really something, huh?” Venus said. 

“If ‘something’ is a code word for ‘assholes’ or ‘uptight arrogant jerks,’ sure.” Healer blew hair out of her eyes, looking quite bored with the conversation already. 

“Wow, they really pissed you off,” said Venus. “What did they do this time?”

“What didn’t they do?” Healer tossed her head, face darkening. “ They’ve always thought they’re better than us. I don’t know how you put up with it all the time.”

Venus rested her head in her hand. “Those two… they’re only like that because they care so much. They’re older than the rest of us, and I think they remember more, so they feel responsible for keeping us out of trouble.”

“ _ Responsible _ ,” Healer grumbled. Then she slanted her gaze back to Venus. “Remembered?”

“I guess you wouldn’t know, and no one told you guys because we were all too busy.” And then Venus wove a story for Healer of the Silver Millennium, of a princess and a prince forbidden to fall in love, but tied together by the threads of fate. Even without  her acting classes under her belt, Minako was a _fantastic_ storyteller, and Healer, despite her attempts to stay indifferent, wasn’t a half bad listener. Midway through the story, when Minako revealed that Prince Endymion had snuck into the ball that Serenity was having, despite their kingdoms nearly at war, Healer’s eyes went wide, shining ever so slightly. 

Minako giggled to herself. She had uncovered a secret romantic by the looks of it. 

Finally, her story ended, Sailor Moon had defeated Queen Beryl. Minako’s memories of the Silver Millennium slipped away, and it was just the two of them sitting in the darkness. 

Suddenly, Healer laughed, a quiet peal that resonated out of place in this plane. “Man, reincarnation, and forbidden love. No wonder she’s so dramatic.” A fond look crossed Healer’s face, the same one Venus often saw on her own friends’ faces whenever they talked about Usagi. 

Venus had to hand it to Usagi—the girl really knew how to make friends. 

“Something bothered me about your story though,” Healer said.

“Oi, it’s not just a story.”

“Where were you in it, Venus?” Healer said, slyly. “I thought, for sure, the—what was it—“Guardian of Love and Beauty” wouldn't pass up telling her own romantic love story.”

“Don’t remind me.” Venus groaned, tossing her hair back. “I think I’m cursed,” she admitted. 

“Cursed?”

“To never fall in love,” she said. 

“That’s a bit dramatic.” Healer stared, clearly in disbelief. “So you’ve never—” 

“Nope.”

“Wow.” Healer let out a whistle. “You guys really take the cake for hopeless cases, huh?”

“Yeah. Pathetic for the Goddess of Love, right?” Venus forced a laugh. But when Healer didn’t laugh with her, Venus quickly quieted. She turned on Healer, “What about you, Healer?”

Healer drew her knees back to her chest, her earlier openness quickly disappearing. “The only person I’ll ever love is my princess. That’s enough.”

Venus wished that was still true for her. “Do you ever wonder… if your Princess wasn’t around, and if you weren’t a soldier, what you would do?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Venus regretted them. That wasn’t even a question she had ever asked her fellow soldiers; it would be a complete betrayal of their ideals, their past lives. Reluctantly, she looked up at Healer, already afraid of her reaction. She expected Healer, always so devoted to Kakyuu, to immediately disavow her.

Instead, Healer surprised her. “I never used to consider a life like that. But after coming to Earth, I could think of it. Singing for the rest of our lives, acting. I think… I would choose that life, if I could.” Under Venus’ wide eyes, Healer blushed. “Don’t you dare tell anyone that, though!”

“Upon my honor, as the Sailor of Love, I would never.”

“Because that’s something I could trust easily.” Healer sniffed.

“Hey! I’ll have you know my honor is the  _ most  _ trustworthy.”

“Suuure, it is.” Healer sighed, dropping her gaze to examine her hands. "I try not to think about it. Because if I do consider it, then I'll be distracted. And I can't allow myself to fantasize over something that will never happen."

Venus' heart ached. Briefly, she considered reaching out to touch her. Something told her that Healer wouldn't appreciate that though. 

Footsteps sounded—Uranus and Neptune had returned. A sneer formed on Healer’s face as soon as they appeared, but Venus could tell that the other woman was just as glad as she was to see them.

Right. Venus had let herself rest long enough.

* * *

Minako didn’t even have time to transform before the world went straight to hell.

The room plunged into darkness, and the girls screamed. Minako could barely see anything, let alone move. The only thing that stood out in the darkness were the ever-glowing threads. In one instant, she watched as something  _ not of this universe _ reached out, and cut the threads as easily as the Fates themselves.

The world seemed to suddenly lose its vibrancy, its very colors fading away. Minako clutched at her chest, feeling so  _ empty _ and so  _ lost.  _ The threads floated in the air, as useless as Minako felt.

No one spoke.

And then there was a roar, a horrible,  _ horrible _ sound that shook Minako to her very core. It seemed to pierce somewhere deep in her soul. All of the air left Minako’s body, and she could only watch as two, gleaming golden eyes froze Minako in place. Then, this  _ great, awful entity _ , too large, and too grand, for Minako to be able to comprehend, reached out.

Perhaps it was instinct. Perhaps it was a matter of being trained. Or, perhaps, it was simply dumb willpower. Minako, her vision still alight by the threads, was able to move out of the way in time.

Her friends were not so lucky.

She screamed as the entity grabbed them, and they succumbed to the dark.

And just like that they were gone.

The light returned to the room and Minako was alone, the threads floating uselessly around her, completely broken.

* * *

Uranus and Neptune had walked and been unable to find anything, but the continuing darkness. Not even looking through Neptune’s mirror had provided them with any direction. And so the four of them set off again, hoping that as a larger force, some idea would come to them. Uranus and Neptune strode in back, continuing to murmur to each other. Healer had seemed to take Venus as the lesser evil, and kept one pace behind her, oddly quiet. The whole situation made Venus miss Moon, who would never leave a mission quiet, or Jupiter who would begin listing all the food they could eat when they got home. She especially missed Mercury, who she was certain would have located Sailor Moon by now. And then there was Mars, who would walk by her side, keeping her upright.  

Mars really would’ve been suited better for this situation.

But Venus kept walking, steps echoing in the ever silence, no end in sight. Ultimately, this was what Venus was truly made for: endurance. No matter how bruised or pained, she would keep moving.

“It’s colder than I expected,” Uranus said.

“Do you want me to warm you up?” Neptune murmured, grabbing Uranus’ hand and leaning into her. Venus missed the reply, but she felt her heart twist at the sight.

“Oh jeez. Can’t they get a room?” Healer, clearly unaffected, muttered to Venus.

“Jealous?” Uranus tossed a smirk over her shoulder. “If you really want, we can try and find room for another.”

“Uranus, Neptune, I didn’t know that was your type of thing,” Venus said over Healer’s incomprehensible, spluttering.

“Oh, there’s a lot you don’t know,” said Uranus, her voice dropping into a suggestive whisper.

But Venus was not to be outdone—she was the  _ goddess  _ of love, nevermind if she didn’t have her own equivalent to the two outer soldiers’ relationship. She flipped her hair and said, “You’ll simply have to enlighten me later.”

This garnered a laugh from Neptune and a blush from Uranus—it was nice, Venus thought, to not be constantly fighting with them. 

“Please, all of you keep your hands to yourself until I’m gone,” said Healer, dryly. 

“The offer’s still on the table,” Neptune said. 

“Like I said: no.”

“Saving yourself for someone else? Hmm? Fighter cuts a nice figure, and I’ve always wondered—”

“Shut up,” Healer said.

“Touched a nerve?” Uranus said.

Healer stopped, green eyes blazing. “Unlike you two, I don’t make a joke out of everything,” she said coldly.

"Like no sense of humor is a virtue,” Uranus sneered.

“I assume as much as not protecting your princess is,” said Healer.

Venus inhaled sharply, turning wide eyes on Healer, who deliberately avoided her gaze. She knew it was a blow that was meant to only hurt Uranus--but it cut Venus just as deeply. She pursed her lips as Uranus advanced, the temperature seeming to drop all around them. Healer didn’t back down as Uranus came to stand right in front of her, looming over the shorter soldier. “Didn’t you lose your princess for  _ months _ when your planet basically exploded?” 

Healer’s entire face seemed to drain of color, expression going completely blank. Her hand shifted to her belt— _ no, she couldn’t be _ —

“Watch it,” Healer snarled, lifting her blaster.  _ “Star Sensitive Inferno!” _

* * *

Minako stayed frozen for quite some time in Rei’s room, unable to wrap her mind around what had just happened. The silence pressed in on her from all sides, seeming to practically suffocate her. For four years, this room had been their lives together—their ground zero for anything that happened in their lives. Whether it was entrance exams, senshi meetings, Mako getting through multiple break-ups, Rei practicing for her singing contests, Ami lecturing them about music, or Usagi out-eating and out-crying all of them, everything had happened at full volume.

Finally, the silence became too eerie. As if she was walking underwater, Minako forced her body to stand up and move, one leg at a time. And then she did the only thing she could think of—she called Setsuna.

The woman, bless her heart, picked up on the first ring. Minako suspected she had been expecting this call. “I need your help,” Minako said without preamble.

“Yes, I know.” Setsuna let out a deep sigh. “I’ll meet you in one hour.”

When Setsuna arrived, she was already transformed, Sailor Pluto’s Garnet Rod gripped tightly in hand. Minako was relieved at the sight of her—as if this proved that she had not just imagined what had happened to her friends. “Pluto,” she said, “We need to rewind time.”

“Minako, you know that’s not the solution here,” she said.

“You’ve done it before!” Minako snapped.

“Yes,” Pluto conceded. “But it is ultimately taboo—and I know that you will fix this situation. As with all of our enemies, it happens with a reason.”

“You couldn’t have warned us?”

“Some things are meant to happen, no matter how much we dislike it.” Pluto’s voice was gentle, but Minako didn’t want gentle. She wanted to scream, and fight something. She wanted action. “However, there is something we can do.”

That was more like it. “Tell me. I’ll do anything,” Minako said, and Minako knew she meant it.

“It won’t be easy,” Pluto warned.

“Nothing’s easy in love and war.”

Pluto’s lips curved into the tiniest smile. “That’s not quite the saying, but I suppose not. Transform and come with me.” 

Minako closed her eyes—it had been two years since any of them had transformed to do more than train. And it had been more than four since she transformed without any of her fellow soldiers. She grasped at her pen, whispered the words, and when her eyes opened, she was Sailor Venus once more.

Pluto slammed down the Garnet Rod. 

* * *

A pure, white fire charged. Venus could practically feel Healer’s rage, her sadness, all in this one blast. She wanted to cry out, but could barely bring herself to move, barely even able to believe what was happening, even as Uranus tried to jump away.

Venus needn’t have worried; Healer had never been aiming for Uranus. The blast hit a monster that somehow Venus had overlooked during the argument. Great teeth, and jaw gaping wide, the monster roared as it was hit directly in between two bright golden eyes from where it towered over the four soldiers. It was the same monster from earlier; Venus couldn’t hesitate again. She flicked out her wrist, her chain wrapping around the jaws of the monster; it pulled forward, straining against her hold. Venus swore, throwing all of her weight in the opposite direction. 

“Nice save!” Uranus spat out, somehow making the compliment sound like an insult. She lifted her hand, and then the earth rumbled.  _ “World Shaking!”  _ The ground around them split apart, and the originally dead air sang—the attack hit the monster point blank. The monster crumpled into the uneven ground.

Venus thought, or hoped, it would end there. 

And then, the monster’s eyes shot open, and it  _ screamed _ , an eerie, piercing sound that cut through Venus’ eardrums, and made her ears feel weak. With one last tug, it broke free of Venus’ hold, charging straight toward Uranus.

“Watch out!” Venus shouted, abandoning her broken chain.

Uranus swore, jumping out of the way, just as Neptune released her own attack with her Deep Aqua Mirror, followed up by a second blast from Healer. “Tricky bastard,” Uranus said. “That was full power, too. And here I thought you were just being dramatic earlier.”

“I save my drama for the stage,” Venus retorted. 

Uranus snorted, showing what she thought of that. Luckily, Venus didn’t have to listen to anything further, as Healer and Neptune slid over to join them.

“What the hell is this thing?” Healer hissed as she straightened.    
  
“It must be part of this plane,” Minako said, grim. “Pluto said that the longer you stayed here the more you changed.”   
  
Healer looked vaguely ill at that. “That’s a person?” she said.    
  
“Maybe once. Not anymore,” Neptune reminded them. “And it’s coming for us again. It might be time for an actual plan.”   
  
“Personally, I quite like the idea of fighting it for eternity. Very epic,” Uranus said, brandishing her Space Sword for emphasis.    
  
“Good, we can leave you here then,” Healer said, but her voice held no heat and she didn’t make a move to leave.    
  
“Sure, you guys were all just holding me back.” Uranus grinned, though truly it was more just a showing of her teeth, and Venus almost believed her.    
  
“Hey, it’s starting to move again,” Healer pointed out. “And fast.”    
  
“All together then,” Venus said.    
  
“Two from the back,” Neptune said.    
  
“Two from the front,” Venus concluded with a nod.    
  
“Truly strategic,” Healer said.    
  
“You got anything better?” Venus said, gesturing toward the slowly advancing creature.    
  
Healer shrugged, flipping her ponytail over the shoulder,  _ entirely  _ too haughty for someone staring down the beast of Goliath or Cthulhu or whatever Ami would have referenced. “Nope. I’ll go from the back,” Healer said.   
  
“Dirty,” Uranus said. 

“Grow up,” Healer snapped, even as they both jumped up together in preparation.    
  
Venus watched them go bemused, the sudden change making her wonder if the monster caused people to change personalities, too.     
  
“Perhaps that threesome is more possible than I thought,” Neptune said wryly, sliding her foot back.   
  
Venus laughed, but didn’t respond. She breathed—pure energy filling her, and let her energy loose on them.   
  
The four soldiers’ powers converged on the demon, combining into one bright, warm light. 

The creature shot through the smoke, falling right on top of Healer. The other three let out a shout, darting out to restrain the monster. Venus’ broken chain shot out again, wrapping around the creature’s throat, preventing its jaw from descending on Healer. Uranus and Neptune both slammed in from the side, forcing it off Healer. Venus was once again forced to release it, barely dodging as it immediately recovered and charged them again.

“What is that thing made of?” Healer coughed out, rolling onto her knees.

“I don’t know! But we need another plan!” Neptune said.

“I have an idea!” Venus said. “Just keep it distracted!”

“I’m more busy avoiding its teeth, honestly,” shouted Uranus. 

“Keep doing that then!” Venus said, sliding to a stop. 

“No, I was planning on letting it chomp on me!” Uranus said.

At the exact same time, the creature nearly wrapped its jaws around Uranus’ arm—luckily, Healer kicked out out with one foot, giving Uranus just enough time to dodge. 

“Do you ever stop talking?” Healer snapped, as she and Uranus both grabbed the monster by its long, clawed arms, barely holding it back from reaching their faces. 

“Only in bed,” Neptune said, landing behind it

“Oh, gross,” said Healer. “Venus, work faster on whatever you’re planning, will you!”

When Venus was out of options, she always thought of Usagi. Usagi the Pacifist, somehow managed to wiggle her way out of most situations through the most non-violent methods. Perhaps, because of this, she stood perfectly still, broken chain in hand, and materialized the threads of love in the air. 

Venus swept her own threads away in the air, pushed past Uranus and Neptune’s blinding tangled strings, so tied together that Venus couldn’t begin to understand them. 

Healer’s she paused at—because there they were again, so luminous, Venus couldn’t help but be transfixed by them. The threads of fate. Venus thought she had been hallucinating earlier.

There was no way, Venus told herself. No way whatsoever. 

“Are you just standing there?” Healer shouted at her.

Right.  _ No time to have a panic attack, V.  _ With great an impressive show of willpower, Venus moved past the threads of fate, though they glimmered in her side view, threatening to distract her at every turn. A deep breath, and she honed in on the monster. It had only two threads; they were faint, black and white, thin as a spider webs and seeming to be crumbling even as she looked. The white one stretched far out into the distance, leading far away from their path. His only connection in life, Venus thought, feeling oddly pained.

The black one, on the other hand, circled around his body, seeming to pulse almost like a heartbeat. Venus closed her eyes. Though the threads did not disappear even with her eyes shut, she knew exactly what would happen if she touched it. It was a disgusting thing to directly touch the threads, to manipulate fate with the brush of a finger. It was arrogant at its best, inhumane at its worst, even to do to a monster like this. 

Was it really Venus’ place to change destiny? Perhaps Pluto had known this would happen, that it was meant to happen. 

Healer cried out as the monster broke free of the three soldiers’ hold, throwing Uranus and Neptune to the side, and clawing straight into Healer’s abdomen, sending her into the ground before anyone could react. 

Venus didn’t hesitate then; she reached out and pulled the life-line, tearing it in two, just as the monster had done to her friends earlier. 

There wasn’t even a scream. Time itself seemed to freeze--then, the monster was gone, simply merging with the darkness around them. Venus instantly felt dirty, as if she had committed a crime against the universe. But, she didn’t have the luxury to think about that. Instead, Venus rushed over to Healer, as Neptune tended to Uranus. She dropped to her knees, as Healer rolled up, clutching at her side. “Healer, are you okay?” she asked.

“Peachy.” Healer grimaced, hand still clutched around her ribs. “Now I get why you were so beat up. I feel like two Seiyas just tried to pick me apart for dinner.”

“What, you think I was just weak?” Venus said, holding out a hand.

Healer let out a strained laugh, grasping Venus’ hand. “Definitely not.” With Venus’ help she steadied herself, but didn’t let go. “You thought I would actually hurt you guys?”

Venus let out a nervous laugh. “You? Hurt us? Oh  _ definitely  _ not, of course not, how silly of me!”

Healer gave her an unimpressed look. “Too much?” Venus said.

“You think?” Healer said. 

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Not like I didn’t think about it.” Healer cast her gaze down, a slight flush coming to her cheeks. At the same time, both of them seemed to realize they were still holding hands. Quickly, they released the hold, just as Uranus and Neptune made their way over, bruised and scratched all over, but somehow still carrying themselves like they could had won that fight all on their own. 

“That was a quick save, V.” Uranus turned her attention to Healer, who immediately tensed up, green eyes narrowing to slits. To their surprise though, Uranus held out a hand. “You probably saved us. Thanks.”

“Character development,” Neptune murmured to Venus, as Healer took her hand. Venus stifled a nervous giggle, feeling rather out of sorts. If this was what all of Neptune and Uranus’ missions were like, no wonder they were slightly eccentric.

“Don’t say it so enthusiastically,” Healer was saying to Uranus, though without heat. “Venus did all the work anyway, while you kept falling down.”

“And you weren’t?” Uranus said.

Healer shrugged, seeming unconcerned. “I land gracefully,” she said.

Neptune coughed, interrupting Uranus’ next counter. “I, for one, am curious how you defeated it, Venus. I didn’t see anything.” Neptune tilted her head, expression curious, but closed, as if Venus was suddenly an enemy she had to figure out.

Venus waved her hand in dismissal. “Details make the bird late for school! What’s important,” she said, ignoring the three baffled stares, “Is that I know how to find Usagi and the others now.”

* * *

Pluto bade Venus farewell with two pieces of advice:  _ Don’t step off the path of the Lost Lands,  _ and  _ don’t follow any figures you might see _ . Venus, personally, thought Pluto could have worded it  _ less _ like a horror movie tagline, but what did she know?

“Venus,” Pluto had said, stopping her before she entered the plane one last time. “The Lost Lands are not kind to wavering hearts—or to anything living. But I believe in you. Trust in yourself.”

Venus flashed a grin. “Who needs trust, when I’m just  _ that _ good?” She flipped her hair, and walked to meet the darkness.

Still, Venus wished Pluto had mentioned  _ anything _ about the monsters.

They descended on her as soon as she left Pluto. They were small, with golden eyes and small claws that tore easily into Venus’ flesh. For every one she dispatched, there was another to take its place. She cried out when two landed hits on her abdomen, sinking sharp claws into her stomach. Grinding her teeth through the pain, she tore them off, sending them flying into the brethren.

“I thought,” Venus kicked at one, feeling a bit guilty, like she was hurting small animals. Still, she spun, released a Crescent Beam, destroying the a full line of them. “That everything was supposed to be, you know,  _ lost. _ ” She surveyed the creatures, hands on hip. “I had tests to study for you know, and video games to beat, and people to seduce! and I had  _ plans _ . I had  _ high scores.  _ I had  _ outfits.  _ But noo. Someone always needs to kidnap Usagi.”

She kicked at one of the dead creatures, feeling better for a second, but immediately feeling worse for kicking something she had theoretically just murdered. Sighing, she crouched, resting her head against her knees, incredibly aware of the wounds now throbbing. How was she supposed to do this alone? Tears burned at her eyes.

“God, Usagi,” she said, wiping her eyes. “You’re turning me into such a crybaby.”

She was Sailor V for a full year by herself, and now she could barely imagine taking another step without her team. Was this weakness? she wondered. Would the Sailor Venus of old be disappointed in her? She had been a true Commander once upon a time. And now she was simply monster food.

Venus slid down to her knees, strength seeming to fail her. Wavering heart, huh, Pluto? What about wavering legs? She crumbled to her side, suddenly too aware of the pain in her side.

She thought back to earlier that day (had it really only been a day?) and how she had only wished to cast her soldier self aside. Perhaps this was punishment for her selfishness.

Pathetic.

She closed her eyes, the threads of fate appearing in her mind. The broken strings that used to be connected to her soldiers floated uselessly, seeming to shrink even as she stared. But her eyes were drawn to Venus’ single  unbroken thread—the one that would bind to someone else, that had stretched off into the distance, somewhere Venus couldn’t follow. It was funny how concerned she had been about it that morning, about falling in love. Now she realized that any love would be pointless without her soldiers.

_ Everything _ would be pointless if she failed here.

Heart hardening, Venus knew that she had to continue. She tried to move her legs, to force them to lift her upward. She only managed halfway before collapsing again. The threads seemed to mock her, vibrating with laughter. She tried to glare at the most offending one, the thread of love, even if she knew how ridiculous she was being.

But then, she must have been truly imagining things now, because right before her eyes, the threads of love turned red and gold. 

* * *

Pluto had said don’t step off the path.

Naturally, stepping off the path was Venus’ plan.

Surprisingly—or perhaps unsurprisingly—the other three were on board. Venus decided to attribute  it to her impeccable leadership skills.

“Jumping to our potential doom? Sounds just like old times.” Neptune exchanged a soft smile with Uranus.

Uranus grinned, eyes gleaming with anticipation. “What’s another day of risking our lives?”

Venus turned to Healer. The foreign soldier shrugged, placing her hands on her hips. “I’d rather die than walk another step in this godforsaken plane.”

Okay, maybe her leadership skills had nothing to do with soldiers and more to do with their constant lowkey death wishes. Venus turned back toward the edge of the path, squinting, trying to see the end. Nothing. She braced herself with a deep breath, as the other three came to stand next to her.

The four clasped their hands together. “Don’t let go, guys. No matter what,” she said.

And then they all jumped.

* * *

There was a funny thing about jumping to your potential death that made you re-evaluate some things.

Venus, for example, really wished she had pushed for a different uniform ages ago. Sure, the soldier fuku was iconic. But, at that moment, she really wished she had shorts like Healer. Not that it covered more skin, but they seemed a bit more practical.

This line of thought, she realized, was definitely panic fueled.

Well, at least if she died, Venus wouldn’t have to have the obligatory talk with Healer about  _ oh hey. I think you might be my soulmate. _

Actually, this was just typical.  _ Just typical  _ of Venus to spend  _ ages  _ looking for where her threads connected and now, when she finally had a possible answer, she was going to die because of her own bad instincts.

Maybe she really  _ was  _ cursed.

But mostly—Venus just kept coming back to how she wanted to see her friends again.

Perhaps it was that thought, or perhaps they simply had just come to the end, because  _ finally,  _ they hit ground, all four landing in a tangled pile of limbs. Venus bit back a joke about a foursome, instead focusing on standing, body still aching from her injuries earlier (that day? Yesterday? How long had they been here now?).

“Where are we?” said Healer, once they all managed to right themselves. Though her tone was hushed, it seemed to reverberate through the entire space.

It was still the Lost Lands, if Venus had to guess, but it was almost as if the entire plane had been inverted. The previously void darkness had faded into a burnt grey. Every step they took forward left imprints as if they were walking in sand, although Venus swore it felt like they were stepping on concrete. To every side of them, pillars that had once stretched higher and higher than Venus could see, were crumbling down, structures breaking in two, left in disarray. Venus didn’t think anyone had stepped in this place for a long,  _ long  _ time. 

“Look,” Neptune whispered, pointing farther on.

Venus’ skin crawled at the sight, a deep seated sense of  _ wrong _ shivering through her entire body. There, in the middle of several collapsing pillars, tied together by fraying white strings were the inner soldiers, ghostly pale and unresponsive. Below them, though, was a mass of dark black and grey strings, angry and tangled around itself, like a mass of electric wires that would simply break the moment she tried. 

And in the center was that entity. 

“What is that?” Uranus said, awed.    
  
“It feels... old. And sad,” Neptune said, tightening her grip on the mirror. “I can see neither past or present in this creature.”   
  
“Well, we’ll just have to kill it,” Healer said, raising her blaster.    
  
Venus threw out a hand to stop them. “Hold on.  We can’t hit it, you might hurt them.”    
  
“It might just release them,” Neptune pointed out.    
  
“Do you want to take the chance?” Venus said.    
  
The two fell quiet, all of them knowing they couldn’t. The outer soldiers exchanged a glance, seeming to communicate without words. Neptune nodded at Uranus.    
  
“Okay, Venus,” Uranus finally said. “Can you do what you did to the monster earlier?”   
  
Venus’ mouth felt dry. For some reason, her gaze sought Healer’s eye. Curious green eyes stared back, head tilted. But Healer nodded back. “Don’t worry,” Healer said. “The worst thing that’ll happen is we all die, and no one will yell at you then.”   
  
Venus bit back a laugh, turning to face her team. “Okay,” she said with a deep breath. “Here I go.”   
  
A mass of threads spread out in front of Venus. The first thing she did was to gently move away the white threads winding around her team, in favor of finding the broken ones.    
  
And then slowly, Venus repaired them, retrying the threads and recreating their life threads. It was not messing with fate, she reasoned, if she was fixing what she had seen in the future.    
  
She retied the knots, and suddenly felt whole again, the color popping again across all four soldiers.     
  
As one, their eyes snapped open and they gasped. The soldiers ran for them, Venus reaching Usagi first.    
  
“Venus!” Usagi cried, grabbing her arms as she moved into a sitting position. “I knew you’d come. And Uranus, Neptune!”   
  
“What am I, invisible?” Healer snorted, helping a groggy Rei to her feet.    
  
“Yaten!” Usagi flung her arms around the tiny soldier. Healer nearly fell from the sudden, surprise weight of the two, but managed to keep them both upright. “What are you doing here?”    
  
Healer opened her mouth to explain, but she was cut off —

The entity roared again, a cry of pain and loss at the soldiers’ release. Venus grinded her teeth, forcing herself to stay standing. Venus detached herself from Usagi and Healer, ignoring the others as they cried at her to back away.

“Are you an idiot?” Uranus’ voice rose, sounding both concerned and angry at once.

Probably, Venus thought. She stole a glance back, and saw that Usagi was the only one not yelling. The other blonde’s face hardened, and she nodded back at her.

With Usagi’s approval, Venus took another step forward, despite her better instincts. Another roar almost brought her to her knees, and for a moment all Venus could see was teeth behind the tangled black threads. A deep breath. Ignoring the threads, she placed her hand directly onto the massive creature.

Tears sprang to Venus’ eyes as she touched the darkness. All-encompassing loneliness seeped into her limbs, and somehow, she knew, that it was from wandering for so long on this plane, alone. This was, perhaps, the first time someone had voluntarily made contact with it in ages. And when it had felt their connections, all in one place, it had broken through that loneliness somehow. It had just wanted to feel that for itself. It was a feeling Venus recognized—wanting to feel connected. Despite that she could barely understand what this creature was, or how it breathed or existed, she could understand that. She had barely survived a full day without her friends. And this thing, being, had existed so long in these lands without any.

Venus would be angry too. 

_ I’m so sorry.  _ __  
  
She needed to take the other senshi back, but she couldn’t leave it alone like this again. But they couldn’t all stay in this darkness forever. What was she supposed to do?    
  
Usagi stumbled next to her, exhausted, but clearly thinking the same thing. “Venus. I know what to do. Will you guide me?” She held out her hand.    
  
Venus clasped it. “Always.”   
  
Usagi opened her compact and lifted the Silver Crystal. She shifted, and then she was Princess Serenity, and Sailor Venus was awash in familiar, golden light. Past and present flickered before her eyes and Venus felt whole again. The threads of love sharpened in the air, and the entity cried in sorrow.    
  
And now, despite what Venus had thought before, the entity’s threads did show. They were faint, practically ripped to shreds, but she could see them. Venus cried out in relief, motioning Serenity. Together, they followed the threads, until they could see where they led outside of the Lost Lands.    
  
But this wasn’t enough. They needed to open a door, and no one had managed that, not in a millennia.    
  
Healer clasped onto Venus’ left hand. Venus started, as their hands shimmered, the threads of fate suddenly appearing again. “I don’t know what the hell you’re doing, but I’ll lend you my power,” she said.    
  
Next, Uranus and Neptune stumbled to Serenity’s side. “And you have ours as well,” Uranus bared her teeth in a wild grin, grasping Serenity’s other hand.    
  
The added strength thrummed in Venus, all of them anchored to the Silver Crystal. With one great shove, they opened the Lost Lands again. A great wash of white light graced them.    
  
But Venus could feel the entity’s uncertainty. “Go!” she cried out. “You can be free now!”   
  
Still, no movement. Suddenly, Venus thought she understood.    
  
She located the threads she always looked at last: her own. By instinct, guided by Serenity’s power, she reached out and plucked one of threads that were still loose and offered it to the entity. As soon as she tied it, a heavy load seemed to fall on her shoulders. She would bear it, though. She had others to help her. 

“So you will never be alone, in your travels,” said Venus. 

The being hesitated. But, perhaps feeling something from Venus across this new connection, it let out a new cry—and then it was gone through the door.

White light still shining upon them, all the soldiers remained silent.

Usagi broke their silence: “Guys, I’m hungry. Did anyone bring snacks?”

Minako sighed in relief as the soldiers broke into laughter and Rei started berating Usagi. They were back. 

* * *

“Man that was so dramatic,” Yaten said after after all was said and done. The two sat on Rei’s porch—or, Minako sat. Yaten had sprawled herself, limbs taking up as much space as possible. They had vacated when Ami and Michiru had begun a chess game—something about an unfinished competition, Minako wasn’t too sure. With the sun setting, autumn’s evening chill wrapped around Minako’s bare legs, and the shrine was particularly quiet. She tugged the blanket over her shoulders tighter, feeling more content than she had in ages.

“This is why I don’t like coming to Earth, you guys always have the worst drama.”

“What, does it eclipse your own too much?” Minako said.

Yaten flushed. “Oi.” She jabbed a finger in Minako’s direction. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Oh sure, Miss ‘I’ll lend you my power! Oh no Minako, you brave and beautiful soul, I won’t let you die!’” Minako pressed a hand to her heart and swooned. “Not dramatic at all, Yaten.”  

Yaten spluttered. “Now you’re just making things up!”

Minako threw back her head and laughed. Yaten huffed, tossing her hair back in seeming irritation. But she couldn’t hide a small grin from Minako. “Admit it, Yaten, you like us,” she teased. “In fact, I bet you might even  _ miss _ us when you leave.”

“Not a chance,” Yaten declared.

“Well,  _ I’ll  _ miss you,” Minako said.

“Somehow, I believe that.” Yaten dropped her head onto her hand, losing the familiar scowl on her face. “You know, you never told us how you defeated those monsters.”

Minako froze, thinking of the threads still connecting them. The threads of fate that wouldn't disappear, no matter how many times Minako double checked.

The words died in Minako’s mouth, as she remembered Yaten talking about Kakyuu.

Minako couldn’t be the one to give Yaten further doubts.

Instead, she simply said, “Let’s just say, a girl never reveals her secrets.”

Yaten made a noise of disappointment. “Oh come on! You can’t just leave it like that—oi, don’t walk away from me!”

Minako laughed, as she rejoined the party. One day maybe. For now, though, she thought, as her eyes fell upon Usagi reassuring Mamoru on the phone, Makoto and Haruka on the edge of an arm wrestling match, Ami hiding a gloating smile from Michiru over the chessboard, Rei snatching the phone from Usagi and yelling at her to talk to her friends, and the cats snoozing off to the side—this would be enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not super thrilled with this tbh. It was supposed to be shorter and Yaten wasn't even part of it originally. It should proobably be longer even?? But I'm sick of working on it so here you go!! Special thanks to vivelarepublique for editing and encouraging this. 
> 
> _Part Two coming to you soon, MY SOUL IS FOR THE BIRDS: "On a distant planet, nearly an entire galaxy away, Yaten must combat politics, friendship, and a love she didn’t ask for._
> 
> _Or: Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Neptune are on a diplomatic mission and the only Starlight happy is Taiki, and no one asked for her opinion anyway. Also, someone’s trying to kill Sailor Moon, but that’s just another Tuesday for you."_


End file.
